An Unexpected Ally
by EliteDragonSlayer
Summary: kay people, i think i'm gonna have this chapter as the last chapter, but i'm not sure. i might, i probably won't. just thought i'd give you a head's up.
1. Dented Pride

  
  
*Demonic~Emotions*  
  
  
"Piece of junk!!"Dilandau snapped bitterly, staring up at his guymelef. It had quit  
on him after a large battle. The Dragon Slayers looked at each other, and Dalet  
stepped forward.  
"Lord Dilandau, I remember seeing a guymelef repair shop in the village about a   
mile away." He suggested. Dilandau turned around and Dalet waited to feel the   
sting of Dilandau's glove, but to his surprise, Dilandau agreed.  
"Good idea, Dalet. For once, you know what you're talking about." He turned back   
to his guymelf. Miguel placed his hand on Dalet's shoulder.  
"Calm down, Dalet. He's just mad about his guymelef, that's all. You have lots of  
great ideas all the time." Dalet looked at him greatfully.  
"Thanks, Miguel." They then left the clearing with Dilandau standing on the   
shoulder of Viole's guymelef as they flew off to the nearby village.   
  
They landed and Dilandau jumped down, starting to look for the shop. They were  
getting several stares, but Dilandau ignored them. Miguel stopped a nearby villager.  
"Excuse me, but where is the guymelef repair shop?"   
"The repair shop is just around the corner." He answered, then walked away.   
"It's over there, Lord Dilandau." Miguel told him, pointing to a large building.   
Dilandau entered the building to see a huge guymelef looking down at him. He   
glanced around and also saw several men walking around. One of them stopped by   
and asked him if there was something he wanted.  
"Where's the head mechanic?" He asked.   
"Over working on that guymelef." He said, pointing to the giant by the exit door.   
There were sparks flying out of the leg. Dilandau walked over and looked up at a   
man that was sitting in the control chamber, hitting various buttons. He was  
about to call up to him when the man shouted,   
"Try that, boss!"   
"Kay!" Came an answering call, then a small crack, and a "Damn!"  
"Sorry, 'bout that, Alex!!"  
"Just fix the machine!!! I've got to get this fixed, or I'm in trouble!!"  
"Okay, okay!!" He jumped down and walked over to a toolbox, but paused in front of Dilandau. "Can I help you sir?"  
"Yeah, I need a mechanic for my guymelef."  
"Well, then you need to talk to Alex. She's the one in charge." He said, pointing to the person working on the leg, uttering curses words every now and then. "But be careful   
not to rub her the wrong way. She's got a temper that could scare the head Dragon   
Slayer into retirement!" Dilandau raised an eyebrow, then grabbed the man by the shirt.  
"Scare ME into retirement? Are you positive about that?" Miguel grabbed Dilandau's arm cautiously.  
"Lord Dilandau, please put him down." Dialndau was about to answer when a wrench came flying at him, just missing his neck.  
"Put him down. Or next time, I won't miss." A voice hissed. He turned and saw a   
woman standing behind him dressed in black pants and an oil-stained blue shirt,   
flipping a dagger in her hand. Dilandau dropped the man, who grabbed his tool box   
and climbed into the chamber again. The woman stared at him, a cold look in her eye.   
"I don't care if you the LEADER of Zaibach, you will not come into my shop and stir   
up trouble, do you understand?" Dilandau raised an eybrow, not liking being ordered around by a woman, but he wasn't about to defy an armed and angry woman when he   
didn't have any weapons available, so he sighed and nodded. "Good." She turned back around and went back to work on the leg. "So you want me to fix your guymelef?"  
"I think that's a correct assumption."  
"Where is it? Oww!" She stood, shaking her hand. Dilandau saw a bad cut on her hand, and was surprised when she simply wiped the blood off on a clean part of her shirt, wrapped a clean cloth around the wound amd leaned back down to continue. "Well?"  
"It's in the woods, about a mile or two west from here."   
"Try that, Alex!!"   
"Alright, Kao!" She leaned in, then after a moment, sat up, a satisfied smirk on her face as the motor started running again. "There, done."  
"And just in time too!! Here he comes to pick it up!!" Kao shouted, pointing to the door. Dilandau turned, and a hatful sneer formed on his face as he saw Allen walk in. She walked over to him.  
"It's fully repaired, Shezar." He looked up at it, a pleased look on his face.  
"Perfection, as usual. Good job, Alex." He climbed up and sat down in the chamber, with her climbing up right behind him.   
"Now, be careful of that, you were too hard on it before, so go easy. And I had your sword sharpened, you're going a little too rough on it."   
"What was wrong with it?"  
"You had a fairly large piece of titanium sword stuck inside it. What have I told you about battling people with those kinds of swords!?" He ruffled her hair.  
"You lecture me like a mother!!" He teased. "And the same thing every time, too!"  
"Well, I've had to tell you so many times, I practically have the entire speech memerised!" She jumped down, landing gently on her feet. "Now go easy on it this time!!" She grabbed a rag and cleaned off her hands while walking over to Dilandau. "So when do you want me to take a look at your guymelef?"  
"Now would be a good time."   
"Kay, let's go." She walked outside and got on a black horse. "See you there!" Dilandau watched her leave and laughed.   
"Does she actually think she'll get there before us just by going on horse back?" He climbed up onto Viole's guymelef and the took off.   
  
They landed and Dilandau stared in shock to see her already there and starting to repair his guymelef. She had opened the chest and was actually inside the guymelef. Dilandau climbed up and looked in to see her working hard. "Having a good time?" He asked, folding his arms and leaning them against the edge, looking down at her with interest. She looked up at him ad wiped her forhead off.   
"What have you done to this machine? This is the worst damage I've seen in years!" He fought down an angry blush.   
"Well, that's what happens when you battle every day without getting a mechanic to look at it!"  
"And how long has it been since you last got this guymelef looked at? 5 years!?" She shook her head and went back to work. Dilandau looked down at her work.  
"So, have you discovered what's wrong?" She sat up.  
"Yeah, it seems that you have encountered Van Fanel, and battled him as well, am I right?" Dilandau looked at her in shock.  
"That's right, how did you-" She laughed.  
"Oh, I have repaired many guymelefs that have been unfortunete enough to lose a battle with him and I've grown to notice his work." She looked down at his guymelef again. "When he struck you at one point, his sword penetrated far enough that it ruptured some of you gearwork and also left a chunk of titainum in here. Titanium is the worst thing you can get stuck in here."  
"Why?" She looked up at him, a weary look on her face.   
"If you have to ask, you don't deserve to know. I thought you of all people would know that!" She leaned down and continued. Dilandau watched her skilled hands quickly change bolts, fix shattered gears, and basically repair the guymelef, cleaning away oil in   
an attempt to see what she was doing. "This is an Alsieds model, right?" Dilandau nodded, mesmerized by her speed. "I thought so. I've repaired alot of these models ."   
*30~minutes~later*  
Dilandau looked up at his guymelef in shock. No other mechanic had repaired his guymelef this well. She wiped her dirty hands off and turned to Dilandau, a small smirk on her face. "All done. The guymelef is fully repaired, I have sharpened the sword, polished the armor and refilled your liquid metal." He looked over at her in shock. "What? But all you had to do was-"  
"Yeah, I know. I was just supposed to fix the problem with the motor. But I like doing extra." Dilandau looked at her in surprise, but quickly recovered.   
"Don't think that I'm paying you extra for this though." She looked at him with an annoyed look.   
"Are you always this arrogant?" He smirkied.  
"Are you always this easily annoyed?" She stared at him, then shoved his sword at him.   
"I sharpened your sword while I was waiting for you to get here, but finished before you arrived. This thing was a mess!" She snapped, walking away briskly towards her horse. She swung up and turned her mount around to face Dilandau. "I hope it works properly for you." She she started her horse at a walk. "I'm not sure I want to run into you again. She called back as she broke out into a gallop. Dilandau watched her leave, his blood boiling.   
"I HATE it when I don't get the last word." He muttered under his breath.  
  
  
  
Just a little something that popped into my head at night. Tell me if I should continue   
or not.Thanx a bunch!!  
  
  
Dark Angel ^_~ 


	2. Welcome Back

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*An~Unexpected~Ally*  
  
  
~Chapter 2~  
  
  
  
  
  
Dilandau looked over the country that they were in the middle of attacking and felt the exciting rush he always got during battles. He looked over to Dalet.   
"How much of the country have we conquered?"   
"Over half, sir."  
"Then we need to get moving. We still have more of it left to win over." Dilandau then turned at a loud cry and smirked slightly when he saw Chesta battling with a woman; it surprised him ever so slightly when he saw she had a sword. She knocked him to his knees and drove her sword at him, but he got out of her range quickly and that's when she noticed Dilandau. He watched, a sly smirk on his face as she formed a glare and ran at him; he lazily drew his sword. She met his sword with her own and Dilandau was startled to feel much strength behind her end. Then he realized who she was. A small smile crept across his face, causing her to be on caution. "Well, I guess you had the unfortunete luck to run into me again anyway, Alex." She seemed startled for a moment, then recognized him and an angered sneer crossed her face.   
"You." She hissed as she pushed back and came to stop a few feet away.  
"I do have a name, you know." She ran at him again, and once again met his sword with amazing power.  
"First you threaten my workers, then you insult me, and now you burn down my home, and you think I'm interested in your NAME?!" Suddenly Miguel grabbed her from behind, shocking her and causing her to drop her sword. She twisted in his grip and tried to get out of Miguel's arms. "Cheater!! Turn me loose!!"  
"No, I don't think I will." Dilandau said in a teasing voice. He brushed a strand of her midnight black hair out of her eyes, and he then noticed that her eyes were a very unusual silver color. "What shall we do with you..." He placed his hand under her chin slightly, but she jerked out of his grip and hissed at him. "Well, aren't we sassy." He looked up at Miguel. "Take her to the Vione's dungeons until I decide what to do with her." Her pupils seemed to dilate with a slight hint of fear but she struggled to get out of Miguel's grip. Without warning, she slipped out of his clasp and started to bolt but Dilandau quickly gripped her arm and pulled her close so she was pressed against his chest. "I suggest you cooperate, or you might find yourself in a tight position that you can't get out of." And he came down on her in a brutal kiss that cause her to go weak and almost slip out of his arms. She suddenly felt a painful crack in her neck and collapsed in his arms, rendered unconscious. Dilandau simply handed her to Miguel and walked away.  
  
  
*4~hours~later*  
  
  
Alex groaned and tried to lift her head, but stopped when it hurt too much. She managed to open her eyes without pain and looked around. From what she could see, she was in a cell in some dungeon.   
"I wonder which country is holding me." She muttered to herself, and jumped in shock when an answer came.  
"Why you're in Zaibach." A nearby voice hissed. She struggled into a sitting postion and looked over to the bars to see Dilandau standing just outside the door.   
"I should have guessed." She muttered, running her fingers through her long hair. Dilandau laughed silently and started walked over to a near-by desk. She ignored him until she heard the click of keys and looked up in surprise, then disgust formed on her face when she saw him unlock the door, walk in then lock the door behind him. She pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned back against the wall, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs as he walked over to her, the grin of a predator on his face. "Wipe that grin off your face before I do, you jerk." She snapped quietly. Dilandau stopped 3 feet away from the bed, but the smirk remained on his face.   
"I do like that attitude you've got." He teased quietly. She looked down at the ground, her thick and tousled bangs hiding her eyes from view. He got to his knees and gently lifted her face, revealing her eyes, and Dilandau was shocked to see tears starting to form. "Alex?" He had taken her as a strong woman, and it surprised him to see her crying.   
"Don't you dare start acting like you care about me. You males are all   
the same and you're all after the same thing. You may pretend like you don't, but   
it's always the same. Well, I'm not falling for it this time. I am not going to be persuaded to fall in love with you like so many others have convinced me, Dilandau Albatou." she said all of this with an inner fire burning in her eyes, something that almost downright scared Dilandau.   
"You think that I brought you here just because of what most dishonerable men want from a woman?" Dilandau asked, annoyance in his voice as he rose to his feet. She laughed rudely and looked away.   
"Please, save me your speech. I've heard them all."  
"Oh really?" She looked up at him as she stood.  
"Let me guess. You were going to go on about me joining your little team  
of Dragon Slayers because of my skills, and NOT because of, as you so well put it,   
what most dishonerable men want from a woman, because you're, oh what's a good way to put it, different? honerable? reserved? trustworthy? How about a sadistic, bloodthirsty asshole?" She thought for a moment. "You know? That last one almost   
fits you, except that it's too mild to discribe you!!" She then turned away from him. Dilandau was getting very annoyed now. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back. "You know? You hit the nail right on the head." And for the second time, he came down on her like a predator, only this time, the kiss was deep and soul-stirring, instead of ruthless and almost painful like the last time. She didn't move at all;   
didn't fight, but didn't return it. Instead, she remained still, torn between hating it   
and enjoying the feel of his powerful and skilled mouth against hers. When he pulled away and released her hair, she quickly slipped away and looked at him warily. "But you're also wrong. I do want you to join the Dragon Slayers because of your skill." He turned and walked over to the door. When he was on the other side of the bars, he turned back to her. "Though I wouldn't mind it if by some chance I wa able to-" She hissed loudly at him and he left her, steaming. She walked over to the bars and leaned out slightly but instantly pulled back when she saw 4 guards.   
"Well, I guess I can forget getting out that way." She looked around for   
any other way out, but the window had thick bars on it, and there was no other way out so she sighed and leaned back against the wall, sliding down to the ground with a sigh. She hung her head with dispair. "What am I going to do?" She heard footsteps coming down the hall but ignored them. Tension started to build up as she heard whoever it was come inside. Alex sighed and had the intense felling of really wanting her sword now. The door closed, the person inside with her walked over, and she felt someone put their hand on her shoulder.She didn't move for a moment, then slowly looked up.   
"Is something wrong?" A man that had a black cloak and teal hair said quietly, concern in his eyes.  
"Why would you care?" She asked bitterly, looking away. "You're Folken Strategoes, aren't you?"   
"Yes, and may I ask what's wrong?"   
"Are you really that slow?"  
"Oh, I have already figured it out, I just want you to tell me so I know Dilandau's not exaggerating." Alex looked up at him.   
"What exactly did he say?"  
"That you're some kind of demon since you're a woman and you can battle with a sword, he had just barely managed to beat you in battle, and the only thing that kept him from losing was the fact that he seduced you."  
"That insensitive, arrogant jerk. First of all, I am not a demon, I just happen to know how to use a sword very well, courtesy of my father and guardian. Second, neither of us won the battle. Third, the only thing that kept me from winning was the fact that he cheated and had Miguel grab me from behind." Folken smiled slightly.   
"Well, it seems like you've got his personality figured out pretty well." She laughed ever so slightly and looked up at him, half torn between wanting to trust him, and from her past experiences, knowing not to trust him right away. "What was your home country?" She looked down at the ground, but he lifted her chin so she was looking directly into his eyes.  
"Arzaz, sir."   
"And that was the country that Dilandau attacked this morning, wasn't   
it?"  
"Yes, so can I please go back now? I have a lot of work to do. There's three guymelefs I have to repair, I have seven deadlines to meet, and there's no way my men can do all of it by themselves." Folken seemed interested.  
"You're a mechanic?" He asked.   
"Yes, now stop trying to change the subject. When can I go back to my home country?!" Folken didn't say anything for a while, then brushed away some of her hair.  
"Alex, your country, it...it's been destroyed." Alex's eyes widened with shock.  
"It, it's destroyed?" Her arms fell to her sides and she slumped against the wall.   
"I'm sorry, Alex. But Dilandau has been known to get carried away. It was not my idea to destroy Arzaz ." She started at the floor, so many emotions swirling around inside her that she had no idea what she felt. "Alex?" She looked up, many emotions revealing how she felt about Dilandau.  
"Folken, for the sake of everyone, you'd better not get in my way when I get out. Because I won't think twice about eliminating anybody who gets in the way of what I want, and right now, I want Dilandau Albatou dead." Folken grabbed her hand and stood her up, looking at her with understanding in his eyes.   
"Alex, I cannot say that I know how you feel. My home was destroyed too, but I was involved in it's destruction. All I can say is if you insist on avenging your country, please be prepared for consequences." He then turned and left her standing there as he was summoned to the hanger. 15 minutes later, she looked out the window and saw several guymelefs taking off.   
"I see they're leaving to mercilessly massacre more people." She muttered as she leaned against the window and watched them fade from view.   
"Well, we didn't all leave." Alex rested her forehead against one of the bars and groaned.   
"Do you people ever do anything except annoy prisoners?" Dilandau leaned against the bars, a proud grin on his face.  
"Of course! We also torture and injure, sometimes even kill the prisoners." She looked at him with a worn out look.   
"And I suppose you are the one who tortures them, aren't you?" She said bitterly.  
"Not all the time, but once in a while, yeah." He opened the door and walked in, throwing her on guard. "My favorite are the females." Her eyes widened. "But I don't torture them. At least I don't call it torturing. Would you like to see what I do?"   
"No thanks." She said, backing up slightly. He approached her.   
"Why not? You scared you might like it?"  
"No, I know I'll hate it!" He laughed and walked up to her.   
"But I don't think I'll give you a choice." He reached for her but she slipped past him and came to a stop by the bars, glaring at him. Dilandau sighed and walked over to her, grabbing onto her arm before she could get away. "Go ahead and fight me. They usually do." He pulled her closer so she was pressed against his chest again. "You ARE quite pretty." She put her hands against his chest and tried to push him away.   
"Please, it is SO obvious that you're just like the rest of the men I know."   
"What's that mean?"  
"It means that you'd talk any girl onto her back, then once you're done get out of her life." Dilandau just stared at her for a moment, then lowered his head and kissed her powerfully. After a moment she pushed him away and struck him across the face. He gripped his cheek and let go of her. Alex stumbled back and fell back against the bed. Dilandau rubbed his cheek and stormed over to her. He grabbed her shoulders and slammed her down against the bed. "You have the nerve to strike me, so you should be able to take the consequences." He glared down at her and she struggled to get away, but he just gripped her wrists harder.   
"Let. Me. Go!! Turn me loose NOW!!!" Dilandau frowned at her.   
"Shut up. I am not in the mood for your attitude."   
"Then tell me when you are and I can give it to you then!!" She snapped. She managed to yank one hand out of his grip, but he grabbed it again and hauled her wrists up above her head.   
"Now hold still." Without another word, he lowered his lips down to her neck and started to gently kiss her throat. Alex bit her lip, took a deep breath and shoved her arms up with all her strength, managing to break his grip, and pushed him off the bed. He hit the ground hard with a groan and sucked in a breath. "My back..." He moaned. She sat up and looked down at him.   
"Serves you right." He didn't respond, wasn't able to from the looks of it. "Dilandau?"  
"I think...my back, it's..." She got off the bed and to her knees beside him.  
"Are you okay?" Suddenly his eyes flashed open, his hand snapped up and he pulled her   
down on top of him, then rolled over so he was on top instead.  
"Never been better, why?" He said, an arrogant smirk on his face.  
"WHY YOU JERK!! HOW DARE YOU ACT LIKE YOUR BACK WAS BROKEN JUST TO GET ME OFF MY GUARD!!!"  
"Well, it worked." She was about to respond, but he covered her mouth with his. Alex struggled to pull away, but he just kissed her harder. After a moment, she stopped fighting him. He paused, slightly surprised at the sudden surrender, then pulled away, looking at her. "Why'd you give   
up?" He asked, pulling away one hand to brush away a stray strand of hair. She looked at him for a moment, then unexpectantly raked her finges across his cheek, digging in and tearing away four clean strips of flesh. Dilandau instinctivly leapt back, gripping his cheek as blood seeped over his hand.  
"To do that!" She snapped, gaining her feet. He was still on the floor, panting hard. After a moment he stood up, still gripping his cheek.  
"You are going to pay for this." He muttered bitterly as he walked away, slamming the door behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
a/n: it's a miricale!!! i actually managed to write another chapter without any suggestions!!! but since i have now run out of ideas again, i wouldn't mind hearin' them!!!! ja ne!!!  
  
  
Wild Angel   
^_~ 


	3. ______________________

  
~~~~IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS BEFORE YOU READ THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~  
now that i have your attention: when you start to read this story, it's gonna seem like you skipped a chapter, but trust me, it will make sense when you read the entire thing. so don't stop in the middle of the first paragraph and start lookin' for a chapter that doesn't exist. just read the whole story. then the first paragraph will make sense. there. i'm done. now, you may read the newest chapter to my story.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*An~Unexpected~Ally*  
  
  
  
~Chapter 3~  
  
  
  
  
  
Alex felt the air rushing past her as she fell from the hanger on the Vione. Surprisingly, she wasn't that upset. Actually, she could care less what happened to her now. She had no reason to be around anymore. What with her home country destroyed and her entire family dead thanks to that bloodthirsty albino. *Dilandau...that jerk. I still can't believe he had the nerve to destroy my home country, then actually think I would want to join his Dragon Slayers. General or not, he still has no right to-* Alex was cut short as she hit the ground. Her back was aching, but that was surprisingly all that hurt. *Have I died? I thought slamming into the ground would hurt more then-* She stopped in mid thought when she realized that she hadn't hit the ground. She turned and was startled to see Dilandau behind him, and his face was set in immense concentration. But what startled her the most was she saw massive wings beating the air as he was trying to pull up. But they were falling too fast already and the most Dilandau could do was protect her from the impact as they fell by slowing down.   
  
  
  
Suddenly a searing pain ripped through Dilandau's right wing as it struck a tree and he felt the wing snap instantly. Realizing he couldn't fly properly, he managed to shift around in midair so that when they finally hit the ground, he was on the bottom. Alex sat up and Dilandau managed to prop himself up on his elbows, dispite the terrible throbbing in his back. She stared at his wings, eyes lingering on the right wing which now had half of it hanging at an odd angle. Alex then looked down at him, surprise in her eyes. After a moment she stood up, and he got to his feet. Alex watched as he examined the bone, which was obviously broken.   
  
"Why did you do that?" She asked suddenly. He turned and looked at her, wincing as he accidentally hit a tree branch with his injured wing in the process.  
  
"Do what?" He asked as he walked over to a deep stream with a small waterfall.   
  
"Jump off the Vione after me." She said with a slight hint of annoyance in her voice. Dilandau let the cold water from the waterfall rush over his wing as he looked at her.   
  
"I told you, I want you as a Dragon Slayer, and you won't do much good to me dead." She ran her fingers through her hair and walked over to him. Standing behind him, she took his injured wing in her hands.  
  
"What are you doing?" He asked, looking at her over his shoulder. She ignored him and snapped the bone back in place with one sharp twist and a loud crack, causing him to cry out. "Good God, I just saved your life. You could be a little gentle." She got fed up with his whining, grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled it back hard so he was bent back far enough that he could see her.  
"Aaargh! Shit, not the hair!"  
  
"Then shut-up!!" She snapped, releasing his hair. She then turned back to his wing, and once it was completely straightened out, he managed to slowly pull them back in. She then turned away from him, still pissed off at all that he'd done, sans saving her life, and sat down by the stream. He walked over to the waterfall and let the water rush over his aching back. *Jerk. Thinks he can burn everything I hold dear and afterward, act like he's a saint.* She thought bitterly. She let her mind drift and found herself thinking about what happened earlier that day that caused them to be in this situation in the first place.  
  
  
  
Alex sat on her bed, thinking about ways to brutally kill Dilandau and enjoyed the idea   
of damaging the less imortant body parts first, then working her way up to the most vital parts.   
Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming down the hall. They sounded brisk and impatient, and she groaned silently, knowing exactly who it was. Dilandau turned the corner and stared at her with   
hatred flaming in his eyes. She stared back at him, her eyes flicked to his cheek for a split   
second, and noticed the bandages on his cheek, which allowed her to take pride in scarring the   
albino's so-called, 'perfect' face. A smirk slipped across her face, and she made no effort to hide   
it. This caused Dilandau to become even more enraged.   
  
"What the hell are you smirking about?" He demanded quietly as he walked in. She just stared at him, not moving as he advanced towards her. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her up. "Answer me." He hissed. She glared at him and brought her hand up to strike him, but he grabbed her hand and pinned it to her side, then tightened his grip on her arm. "Not this time, my warrior." He teased, a sly grin on his face.  
  
"I am not your warrior, you demon." She snapped bitterly, trying to get out of his vise-like grip.  
  
"Demon?" He seemed thoughtful for a moment, then smirked again. "You know, you're right. I am a demon." He then captured her breath in another fiery kiss. She managed to somehow push him away with a trembling hand and stared at him with confusion.  
  
"What do you mean I'm right?" He stared at her blankly.   
  
"The Dragon Slayers didn't tell you?" Alex was getting more confused by the second.  
  
"What are you talking about?"   
  
"I'm Draconian."  
  
"WHAT?!!?"  
  
"Not by blood or anything, the sorcerers used me for one of their experiments, I think they were trying to see if they could turn humans into Draconians."  
  
"They actually perform experiments on you?!"   
  
"It's a natural occerence these days. Seems almost every other week they call in for me. But now, since they used me so much and my systems becoming immune to the liquids they give me, then they're planning on finding somebody else."   
  
"Isn't there a chance that you might die from it?"  
  
"Their specimens always die every now and then." She was startled. After a moment, she tried to pull away but he tightened the grip he had on her.   
  
"Let go of me." She said quietly but firmly. Dilandau thought he caught a hint of fear in her voice and decided to use it towards his benifet.  
  
"And what if I don't?" He asked. She tried to push him away but he started to back her up. Soon they ran into the bed and fell back onto it. He gripped her wrists and pushed them down at her sides.   
  
"Stop it."   
  
"Go on, tell me you don't want my mouth on you."  
  
"I don't want your mouth on me."  
  
"Liar." He hissed. She shuddered.  
  
"Yeah." He then started to lower his mouth towards her. His lips were inches away from hers when the explosions started. Dilandau jumped and looked up.  
  
"What the hell was that?!"  
  
"I think it came from the hanger." She said as she sat up. He took off towards the hanger, not caring about her door being open. She walked out, wondering why he didn't care about her door and ran to the hanger. She entered it slowly, looking around for the cause of the explosion. She   
noticed Dilandau fighting with a raven-haired boy. She saw a dead Zaibach soldier nearby and took   
his sword in case anyone attacked her. She made her way towards the guymelefs were but was stopped when a warrior from Asturia ran at her. Alex blocked his attack, sliding back slightly at the impact. He attacked her over and over, pushing her back a foot at a time. Soon she was standing on the edge of the balcony when she'd had enough. She swung her sword down at him and decapitated him in one swift movement. Sighing in relief, she looked over at Dilandau's battle. *Who's he   
battling?* she wondered. *He's very skilled.* Suddenly she felt something encicle her waist and lift   
her into the air.   
  
  
  
Dilandau glanced up as he heard a guymelef taking off and saw in shock that a Asturian guymelef had Alex in his grasp. "What the hell?! Asturian guymelefs don't fly!"  
  
"Didn't you hear?" Van gasped as he blocked another attack. "We had a few of them upgraded." Dilandau glared at him, then took off to the edge. *He's got Alex.* He thought.   
  
  
  
Alex struggled in the guymelefs grasp as she tried to get out.   
  
"What are you doing?! I'm the one who repaired your damn machine!!" She glared up at the pilot. He looked down at her and opened the grate.  
  
"In war, there will be casualties! Sorry, got to go now." She gasped as he let go and she started falling to the ground.  
  
  
  
Alex sighed and looked over at Dilandau again, then looked away quickly, blushing as he had removed his shirt and was letting the water pour down his bare back. He looked up as he heard rustling and watched her walk over to where there was a clear patch in the trees overhead and she looked up to see the Vione slowly drifting out of view.  
  
"How long do you think it will take them to notice that we're missing?" He stepped away from the waterfall and started to dry off while walking over to her.  
  
'I'm not sure. They have their hands full as it is with that battle." He looked over at her and was surprised to see her trembling. "Alex?" She jumped and turned to see him. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, why?"  
  
"Alex you're shaking. If I can tell some of a person's battling skills just by looking at them, I think I can   
tell when someone is lying." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can also tell when their scared." He said this to provoke her, but to his surprise, she turned around to face him, buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around him, vibrating. "Alex?"  
  
"God, over half of my family was killed out here by Dragons, Dilandau, just 15 meters from where we're standing."  
  
"Alex, I'm sure we can both hold them-"  
  
"No, you don't understand! These dragons aren't normal!!"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"These Dragons are bloodthirstly killers that hunt anything for the sheer joy of it. Many of the men in our family were very skilled hunters who could easily take on air dragons and win, so what challange is a land dragon right? Well these dragons are 20 feet tall, weigh over 20 tonnes and love the taste of human blood. No one knows why, but no one hs been able to stop them yet." She continued to tremble against his chest. "Then one day, my older brother, when he was 15 and I was 11, was fooling around in the woods. I told him to get out of the woods because of the dragons. I did everything I could. I begged, bribed, even threatened to tell our father, but he   
wouldn't listen.   
"Then there was some movement in the woods behind him. We saw two huge golden eyes and tried to run for cover. I managed to hide behind a large rock, but my brother, he, he didn't make it in time. The dragon burst out of the woods before my brother could get to where I was. It, it tackeled him and sent him flying into a tree. He reached for his sword, but he, he wasn't fast enough. The dragon's tail whipped out and hit him, knocking him out for a moment, long enough for the dragon to run over and hold him down with his foot. Then, my brother woke up and, he, he saw, he saw the massive jaws come down before he had time to cry out and, and then the, the dragon, it..." She busrt into tears, clutching the back of his shirt tightly. Dilandau wasn't sure what to do with her, he'd never seen a warrior as strong and poerful as Alex in such a state. He let his instincts take over and he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her closer and leaned his cheek on the top of her head.   
  
"Alex, Alex, it's okay. Alex just calm down now alright?" He let his insticts control him once again and bent down slightly then picked her up. He expected her to snap at him, telling him to put her down, but instead she leaned against his chest, gripping his shirt tightly again. "If this is the same woods, then we don't want to stay here." He then started walking in the quickest direction out of woods. "Those survival drills Folken put us through are sure going to be useful now." He muttered to himself. He then froze as he heard a branch crack, and slowly turned around to face whatever was behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH, my bad!!! cliffhanger!!! *grins evilly* well, you're just going to have to tell me what'cha think of this chap. if you want me to hurry with the adding!!!! *laughs evilly* will they get out of the woods, or will they meet a gruesome death? and what about Folken and the Dragon Slayers? i am so MEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! buh bye!!!!!! ^_~  
  
  
  
  
~*Wild Angel*~ (or is it 'devil'? ha, ha ha HA!!!!!!) 


	4. Magical Secret

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*An~Unexpected~Ally*  
  
~Chapter 4~  
  
  
  
  
Dilandau turned slowly, barely breathing, and waited to see who was coming through the woods. The form soon came through the woods, and Dilandau felt relief pour through him.   
  
"It's just Alex's horse." He sighed as the black horse walked over towards them,   
looking throughly spooked. He noticed that the saddle and bridle were still on the horse and he   
took it as a sign. He managed to swing up into the saddle with Alex in his arms. The horse pinned   
it's ears back, but Dilandau managed to calm him down and headed out of the woods. He brought   
the horse out of the gallop and stopped as he looked up to look for the Vione and frustration built   
up as he saw it quite a distance away. "Even if I ride at a full gallop for 2 days, it'll still be too far away." He muttered, swinging down out of the saddle and laying Alex down. He lead the tired   
horse down to a stream and let him drink. He looked around at the clearing they were in and   
sighed. He heard rustling and turned to see Alex sitting up slowly and looking around, the turned   
back to look up at the sky. She stood up and walked over to them, a look of surprise on her   
face when she saw Dilandau holding her horse's reins. He hadn't noticed she was standing behind   
him yet, so she walked over and ran her hands over the horses back, which made him instantly   
lift his head and rub it against her shoulder.  
  
"Where did you find Black Diamond?" She asked as she stroked her horse's neck.   
  
"Actually, he found me." He said quietly as he handed her the reins. She pulled off the bridle and saddle and let the horse wander around.   
  
"So, what are we going to do now?" She asked as she looked up at the sky, where   
the Vione used to be, but had now disappeared from sight.   
  
"I guess we'll have to stay here tonight. We're far enough away from the place   
where the dragons-" He stopped quickly. "It's too dark to carry on, so we'll head for Zaibach's   
capital tomorrow." She looked over at him as she kneeled over her saddle and pulled her back   
pack off.   
  
"Why should we head there?" She demanded.  
  
"Because it's closest and I said we are." He snapped. She sighed and turned   
back to her bag. "I'll go track down something to eat." Dilandau muttered, walking away.   
She watched him leave then turned and started a fire.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
When Dilandau returned with their dinner, he couldn't find Alex anywhere.   
He set down the kill by the fire she had roaring and looked around. "Her horse is still   
here, so she didn't leave." He started to walk through the woods, looking for her. "Then   
where is she?" He pushed some branches of a large drooping tree out of the way and   
found a small lake with a beautiful waterfall. He looked down at the sand on the edge   
of the lake and was shocked to find Alex's clothes neatly folded on a rock and her   
sword still clipped onto her belt with the belt draped over a nearby tree branch.   
"I-if her clothes are right here..." *anime sweatdrop* "Then that means that she's..."   
He slowly looked out into the middle of the lake and saw...   
Dilandau pulled back quickly, blushing furiously. He shook his head and   
walked back to the clearing.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Soon Alex came back, drying her wet hair. She entered the clearing and saw   
Dilandau had already cooked the meat. He looked up at the sound of her coming in and quickly looked away, a deep blush spreading across his face. She sat down on the other side of the fire   
across from him and took a piece of meat.  
  
"There's a nice lake a little distance away from here. It's perfect for washing up in.   
I just did." She said, shaking her hair back. This caused Dilandau's blush to increase even more.   
He then looked at her suspiciously.  
  
"Why are you in such a good mood all of a sudden? Why aren't you tossing insults   
at me like usual?" She looked over at him.  
  
"Why are you blushing?" Alex retaliated. He jumped, then nervously bit his lower   
lip tightly.   
  
"What are you talking about?" She pointed to him.  
  
"You're blushing." He looked away.  
  
"N-no I'm not. What do I have to blush about?"  
  
"Well, you blush everytime I mention the lake." His face went redder then his   
eyes. "See?! You're doing it again!" She frowned for a moment, then shrugged. "Oh well. I'm   
sure I don't even want to know." Alex then turned back to the fire and Dilandau sighed with   
relief. *If she found out that I saw her, she'd have my head on a platinum platter.*   
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
*4~hours~later*  
  
Alex stirred and sat up, stretching. She looked over to where Dilandau had been   
sitting when she fell asleep and saw he wasn't there anymore. Looking up at the sky, she saw   
that it was the middle of the night. Alex couldn't see Dilandau anywhere, so she stood up. She   
walked over to the lake and climbed up the cliff beside the waterfall. She sat down on the   
edge and hung her legs over the edge, looking over the woods.   
  
"Couldn't sleep either?" A voice said behind her. She turned and saw Dilandau   
standing behind her. She quickly stood up and brushed herself off.  
  
"No. I take it you went exploring as well?"   
  
"Yeah. Your horse has taken off somewhere, you know."  
  
"He stays in earshot at all times and all I have to do to call him is whistle. He's   
fine by himself." Dilandau looked down at her.   
  
"You seem nervous about something." She rubbed her arm, looking down at the   
ground.  
  
"I-I had a strange dream." She explained quietly, sounding almost ashamed   
about it.  
  
"What do you mean strange?"  
  
"Well..." She trailed off and looked away. "It's the same dream that I've been   
having since I was first taken from my home by Zaibach. There's this boy, about 15, standing   
in front of me, half turned and looking over his shoulder at me. He looks like the boy you   
were battling on the Vione in the last battle, with his slightly tousled raven black hair. The   
only difference is he has these piercing ice blue eyes. He also has a crossbow over his   
shoulder. The entire time he just, stands there, staring at me. His eyes, they, they seem so, I   
don't know, it's just something about them. It gives me a chill. They seem powerful, yet   
pained, as if they are in need of help, but have too much pride to ask for it." She shuddered   
and rubbed her arms as if she were trying to warm them up. Suddenly they heard a shrill   
whinny and an answering roar. "Oh no!! Black Diamond!!" Alex gasped, and slid down the   
side of the cliff, then took off into the woods. She looked back and saw that Dilandau was   
right behind her. Turning back, she saw Diamond in a clearing backing up quickly and rearing   
at something every few minutes. At a closer distance, she saw it was a dragon nine feet taller   
then her. It would snap it's jaws and strike out at Diamond, who was backing up quickly. She   
drew her sword and ran at the dragon. It turned and saw her as she jumped up and pointed the   
sword straight down towards it's back. But she had forgotten about the tail and Dilandau   
watched in shock as the quickly twisted it's tail around her, holding her there tightly. She   
struggled to getloose but failed. Alex gasped as her sword slipped from her hand and clattered   
to the ground. She then looked behind her and gasped again, then looked over at Dilandau. "Dilandau!! This dragon's got two tails!!" Dilandau was surprised.   
  
"Two tails?" He hissed. "Well, I don't care if he has two tails or four." Dilandau slowly pulled out his sword so as not to attract the dragon's attention.  
  
"Black Diamond! Get out of here!!" The horse couldn't move from where the dragon had cornered it. Alex shut her eyes tightly. "Black Diamond, come on!! Get out of here!!" She heard Dilandau charge and the dragon's other tail whipped out. She opened her eyes to see Dilandau beside her. "I told you these dragons wern't normal." She said with annoyance in her voice. She gasped and turned back to Diamond. "Black Diamond, we have no choice. We'll have to have you transform and beat the dragon on your own!" Dilandau looked over at her.  
  
"What do you mean transform?!" She didn't respond to him, just kept on staring at the horse. Dilandau looked at Black Diamond in time to see an amazing sight. Black Diamond tossed his magificent head and Dilandau watched in shock as an elegant horn appeared just below his forlock and ebony wings unfurled from his back. "What in the Gods creation?!" Black Diamond faced the dragon and took to the air so he was above the dragon. The huge reptile watched him, tightening his grip on Dilandau and Alex, causing her to gasp in pain as her lungs were aching like mad. Dilandau had his arms free and struck at the tail with his sword, but couldn't cut through the steel-like scales. He looked up at Black Diamond and watched as a large glow started to shine on his horn, the dragon hissed loudly, and a large, white-hot beam of light came out of his horn and shot down to the dragon, hitting him in the head. Alex closed her eyes and Dilandau watched as the dragon started to twist in pain, then exploded. Dilandau fell to the ground, quickly stood up and caught Alex in his arms. They were both covered in the dragon's blood, Alex spit out some of the blue-green blood and Dilandau shook his head, sending the blood in his hair flying. Alex stood and whistled loudly, calling down Diamond. He landed beside her and looked over at Dilandau. Dilandau stared at him in shock, then looked at Alex.  
  
"Back in my village, when we discovered the dragons, we also found some of these unicorns. They are the only living things that can beat these dragons." Alex explained. Dilandau studied Diamond and ran his hand down the mystical horse's neck. He then noticed a blood-red jewel hanging on a thin chain draped over his horn. A few minutes later, his wings and horn disappeared. Alex looked herself over and shuddered. "I'm gonna go wash this stuff off." She muttered. Dilandau watched her leave, then sat down by the fire, watched Diamond wander off, and stared into the fire while waiting for Alex to return.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: i got the idea of what she should dream from a dream i had myself. the only difference between her dream and my dream was in my dream, the guy was bare-chested!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~Wild~Angel~  



	5. Dangerous Stranger

  
  
  
  
  
~An~Unexpected~Ally~  
  
  
~Chapter 5~  
  
  
Dilandau looked up again as he heard Alex coming back and stood up.  
  
"My turn." She threw him a towel.  
  
"Watch out for the waterfall. It's cold." She then walked over to the fire and sat down.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Dilandau sighed in relief as the blood finally washed off. He went under for a moment,   
then came back up and swept his hair back. He looked up at the Mystic Moon and wondered   
where the Vione was at the moment. He ran his hands over his soaked hair and sighed. Wading back to the shore, he grabbed a towel and dried off, then pulled on his pants, threw his jacket over his shouder and headed back to the clearing.   
  
  
When he got back, he found Alex asleep with her head resting on Diamond's back. He walked over to the fire and sat down, then seemed to go into a trance as he stared at the dancing flames. Eventually, he fell asleep.  
  
  
The next morning, he was the first to wake up. After splashing cold water from a stream over his face to fully wake himself up, he walked over to Alex, who was still asleep against Diamond. He kneeled beside her and started to shake her awake. Diamond woke up and looked over at him, his eyes questioning. Then Diamond shook his head and woke up Alex. She opened her eyes and looked up at Dilandau.   
  
"Don't tell me it's morning already." She complained as she sat up.  
  
"Yes, it is, and we have to get moving. We aren't too far away from the capital." He answered. She stood up, muttering to herself.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
~Vione~  
  
"We haven't been able to find them yet, Lord Folken." Viole reported nervously.  
  
"Where can they be? We've already searched 3 of the nearby cities." He held his head for a moment, then straightened up suddenly. "The capital of Zaibach." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
~Woods~outside~Asturia's~capital~  
  
Alex sat behind Dilandau with her arms wrapped around his waist while they rode at a gallop. Soon Dilandau pulled Diamond to a stop.  
  
"Perfect. We're farther from the capital of Zaibach then I thought. This is Asturia's capital, Palas." Dilandau jumped down and Alex followed suit. She placed a hand on Diamond's neck and looked at Dilandau.  
  
"So are we going to carry on, or are we staying in Palas? What are we going to do?" Dilandau studied the large city.   
  
"I vote we move on."  
  
"Why?" Dilandau looked at her.  
  
"Because I said so. And if I say so, you're going to." He snapped. Alex looked surprised at the sudden, harsh responce. After a moment, Dilandau turned away. "Let's get moving already." She stared at the country for a moment, then swung up in the saddle before Dilandau could and took off. Dilandau watched her take off. "What is her problem?" He sighed and started on foot in the direction she had taken off in.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Dilandau was feeling very worn out from walking 6 miles. He was about to take a break when he spotted Alex sitting on a rock and feeding Diamond something out of her hand. He stormed over and stood behind her, not saying anything.  
  
"I was wondering when you'd get here." She said, not looking at him. This angered him even more.  
  
"You have some nerve taking off on me like that." She brushed her hands off on her pants then turned to him.  
  
"And you have some nerve snapping at me back in Palas." She retaliated, anger growing in her eys as well. Diamond snorted and pawed the ground. "You are such a jerk. You finally seem to be half decent, then your true personality comes back." Black Diamond tossed his head as if he was feeling the same anger Alex was. "I can't believe that for a while, I was actually trusting you." She then struck him across the face hard enough that he stumbled and fell. He held his cheek for a moment, then pulled his hand away, revealing a white handprint quickly turning red. Dilandau hissed slightly as he brushed his fingers against his cheek and felt small scratches where her nails had probably come in contact with his skin. He looked up at her, shock and surprise written all over his face. She stared down at him, then turned and swung up into the saddle. Alex paused, looked down at him, then held out her hand. He stared at her hand, then looked up at her. "Just take my damn hand." She snapped quietly. After a moment, Dilandau sighed, stood up, grabbed her hand and allowed her to pull him into the saddle. This time he was in the back. He slipped his arms around her slender waist, causing a faint blush to show up on her face. He was just holding on loosely, then his grip instictivly tightened when they took off straight into a gallop. "You're gonna have to tell me what direction the capital is in, you know."  
  
"Why don't you just let me take the reins?" He asked.   
  
"Because Diamond is still mad at you, and I don't trust him to behave if you take the   
reins before he calms down." Alex answered. Dilandau nodded his understanding and told her to   
head east.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
It was getting dark quickly, and Dilandau suggested that they stop for the night.   
Alex nodded, too worn out to say anything, and waited for him to swing down out of the saddle.   
When he was down, he turned to her to help her down as it was obvious she was too tired to   
get off herself. She was about to slide off when she let out a pained gasp and fell down. Dilandau caught her and was very concerned.  
  
"Alex?!"   
  
"My shoulder..." She gasped. He looked at her right shoulder and his stomach dropped when he saw an arrow lodged deep into her shoulder. Dilandau then looked up and glanced around, looking for anybody.   
  
"Who fired that arrow?" He snapped, looking around the clearing. Dilandau looked back down at Alex, who had dropped into unconciousness from the pain. "Well, before I do anything, I gotta get that arrow out." He picked her up and carried her over to a large tree then leaned her against it. After starting a fire, he walked back over to Alex. Dilandau sat her up so that the arrow was easily reachable. "I just hope she doesn't wake up. If she does-" He grasped the arrow. "She'll scream bloody murder." Just as he was about to pull it out, she decided to wake up. She looked up at him.  
  
"W-what are you doing?"  
  
"Perfect." Dilandau muttered before biting his lip, closing his eyes and yanking out the arrow. She gasped in shock and pain, then gripped Dilandau's jacket in her clenched fist tightly, breathing in short pants.   
  
"Oh my...may the gods..." She swallowed hard. She heard a rip and turned to see   
Dilandau had taken off his armor, jacket, and undershirt, and was procceding to tear his shirt into  
strips, then wrap her shoulder. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the pain. Then she thought   
of something. "Dilandau, what country are we in?" He thought for a moment.   
  
"We're on the border of Asturia." He answered, continuing to wrap her injury.  
  
"So it's not anyone who stumbled onto us just now. Asturia's an ally, they wouldn't attack us. It's someone who-" She stopped when the pain was too intense.  
  
"Someone who what?" Dilandau asked. He tightened the make-shift bandage with a hard tug, then tied it and looked at her, waiting for her to answer.  
  
"Someone who's been following us the entire time." She managed to finish. He looked startled, then glanced around, pulling out his sword.  
  
"You stay here." He said, walking into the forest to find the attacker.  
  
"Yeah, like I'm really gonna go anywhere in this state." She muttered, being careful not to strike her shoulder against anything as she changed position.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Dilandau walked around, looking for their attacker. So far, he hadn't found anyone.   
Suddenly, he heard Alex cry out. "Get away from me! Let me go!!" Dilandau turned around quickly.  
  
"Alex!" He ran back to the clearing and froze. Alex was thrashing in the grip of a male that seemed to be a few years older then him.  
  
"Get your hands off of me!" She snapped, still trying to get out of his vice-like grip.  
  
"Hey!" The man jerked up and narrowed his eyes as he watched Dilandau draw his sword. A smirk crossed the stranger's face and he grabbed Alex by her injured arm, picking her up and pressing her against his chest, and she gasped in shock as she felt the hot blade of a sword pressed against her throat. To silence her, he gripped her injured arm harder. She closed her eyes tightly, instantly silencing. Dilandau's eyes narrowed, but didn't do anything else; didn't risk it. "What do you want?" Dilandau demanded quietly. 


	6. Encounter of Uncertiny

  
  
  
  
  
  
~An~Unexpected~Ally~  
  
  
~Chapter 6~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"What do you want?" Dilandau hissed again. The male stared at him, as   
if he were trying to understand what he was saying. He looked down at Alex, obviously   
waiting for her to explain. Alex struggled for a moment, then started talking in a   
strange language. When she was done, he looked up at Dilandau with a smug grin   
and started to talk in the same language. When he was done, Alex translated.  
  
"H-he said that he wants you dead f-for destroying his hometown." She   
swallowed hard, having trouble talking because of the blade on her throat.  
  
"What's his home country?" Dilandau asked. Alex looked at Dilandau.  
  
"A-arzaz, my country."  
  
"What?! But why did he attack you? Doesn't he know you're from   
Arzaz as well?"  
  
"Because he says that-" She stopped to gasp for breath as he pressed   
the blade harder. "That I'm your only weakness or something like that.-" She stopped   
as he pressed the blade harder to her throat. Dilandau flinched as she gasped and   
watched as a thin trail of blood ran down her throat.   
  
"But, I don't have-" He stopped when he saw the pain in her eyes starting   
at this statment. "I mean you aren't...well, you..." He trailed off, not sure how to   
respond.  
  
"Ty jeves ja mahr oir ather kermar bres har ne temsar fes tres tah okensa   
meyton ja leitas?" The man hissed. Dilandau looked down at Alex.  
  
"He said, `Why do you care about what happens to her if she really is just   
a prisoner you caught?`" She said with difficulty. Dilandau looked surprised at the   
question, then looked down at Alex. She was waiting for his answer.   
  
"I... uh... well... I'm... not sure... exactly." Alex seemed startled, then Dilandau   
saw an emotion that he wasn't able to distinguish between shock and hurt. The man   
stared at Alex, then Dilandau and back at Alex. After a moment, she looked up at him,   
then back down to the ground.   
  
"Via jevens jiles ty." She translated in a quiet voice that had a hint of anger   
in it. Dilandau bit his lip. *What should I do? I should just let her die, she's a nusiance   
anyway.* Dilandau smirked, and shrugged.  
  
"Oh well." He knew exactly how she would react.  
  
"WHAT?!" She managed to push away the sword and she lunged at   
Dilandau, who just stepped back. The man tightened his grip around her waist and   
struggled to hold her back. "You JERK!!! How DARE you!! I have kept you warm   
by MY fire, let you use MY transportation, AND, gave you my trust!!! And THIS is   
how you thank me?! I should have known people like you NEVER change!!!   
Never!!!!" He stared at her shocked, and was even more startled when she stopped   
and just stared at him. But what scared him the most was the tears now running down   
her face. Dilandau was startled. *Why is she upset about what I think?* She then   
unexpectantly managed to jerk away for a second, but the stranger pulled her back.   
He then pressed his crossbow to her back, but in doing this, he had to let his sword   
clatter to the ground. She decided to go for it and pushed away one more time, this   
time far enough that she managed to grab Dilandau's sword, then swung around to kill   
the stranger. But as she did, she also recieved an arrow in the side. Ignoring the arrow,   
she quickly decapitated the man. Turning around after picking up the dropped weapon,   
she aimed her new crossbow in Dilandau's direction. "Don't care about what   
happens to me? Thought you'd just stand there and watch me die? For some reason,   
I don't like that idea." Dilandau started to back up, keeping his eyes on the crossbow.   
  
"Now, Alex. We , we really should get that arrow looked at. Just put that   
crossbow down and-"  
  
"Shut up. I'll do whatever I want, which is obviously what you think you can   
do." Dilandau watched the blood slowly rolling off the arrow and onto the ground, forming   
a large pool on the ground.   
  
"Alex-"  
  
"Can you not listen to orders?! Shut up. You have not changed at all.   
You're still the same jerk who only cares about people when it benifits you." She then   
fired the arrow, which Dilandau managed to knock away at the last second. He grabbed   
her by the arm and pulled her to him, forcing her hand open and making her drop the   
crossbow.  
  
"It's not a good idea to attack a high commander with a weapon you don't   
know how to use properly." He then ran his fingers over the arrow, feeling blood her coat   
his hand. He was shocked that she was still standing with the arrow embedded so deeply   
into her side. "Now I'm going to remove this arrow before you die from blood loss, and   
you can either stay still and make it less painful, or fight me and make it hurt even more.   
Your choice." Alex stared at him, not believing how quickly he changed from an insensitive   
jerk to someone who cares. Without her noticing, he gripped the arrow tightly. *If I keep   
talking to her, she shouldn't notice me pulling out the arrow until the pain hits.* "I would   
hate to have you fight me when I..." With a swift pull, he pulled out the arrow and   
swallowed the scream that was about to start in a powerful kiss. When the pain subsided   
slightly, and he was sure she wasn't going to start screaming again, he pulled away. "Pull   
the arrow out." He finished. She looked at him, breathing hard, then back down at her side   
and saw blood flowing profusely out of her wound. She laughed slightly.  
  
"Perfect. Two arrow wounds in the same day." She suddenly felt dizzly from   
the loss of blood and after a moment, collapsed in his arms. He picked her up and carried   
her over to where he would soon start a fire. "I have got to stop the flow of blood, but I   
alreadly used my shirt, so what do I do now?" *Why do I even care? I shouldn't be   
worrying about her, as if I in- no. No, I'm not in love, I, I just want to keep her alive   
because of her battling skills. Yes, that's why I'm so bent on keeping her alive, because   
I want her on my team of Dragon Slayers.* "What can I use?" He then had an idea.   
"I can use her shirt." He layed her back and unzipped her jacket, then lifted up her   
undershirt. A blush spread across his face as he pulled the undershirt off. Doing his   
best to ignore what she was now wearing, he ripped her shirt, then wrapped her side   
up. Dilandau pulled her jacket back on and threw some more logs onto the fire.  
"I have to get her back to the Vione soon. All I have to do..." He held his head in his   
hands. "Is figure out how." Dilandau finished.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
w.a- good grief. so dilly, do ya like her or not?  
  
dilly- how should i know? you're the one writing this story.  
  
alex- hey, don't i get a say in this?  
  
dilly + w.a.- NO!!!!  
  
alex- okay, okay! don't bite my head off!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~~Wild Angel~~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Two Sides To Every Story

~An~Unexpected~Ally~  
  
~Chapter 7~  
  
  
Dilandau sat in front of the fire, thoughts running through his mind. *Why in the name of Gaea have I saved her life so many times? Who sent that assassian? Will we ever get back to the Vione? What will we find if we do?* He gripped his head, tired of feeling so helpless. He stood up and walked away towards the waterfall and fell to his knees, staring into the water below him and studying his reflection. He stared closer at the face before him, then gasped in shock as he realized that a woman was looking back at him. He backed away from the water's edge for a moment, then, his curiosity getting the better of him, crawled back over. Once again, he saw the face of a woman who looked alot like him in an extremely eerie way. She looked identical except for the fact that her hair was a pale blonde, and her eyes were a rich blue. *I've seen you before.* He thought, getting more and more freaked by the second. After a moment, he shook his head and ran his hand over the reflection, the ripples making it vanish. Running his fingers through his silver locks, he glanced at the water, then turned away.   
  
~How foolish. Do you honestly think you can just brush me away like an annoying habit?~ Dilandau jerked around, looking for the source.   
  
"Who the hell is that!?"   
  
~You know exactly who I am, and why you saw my reflection instead of yours.~ He panicked, then gripped his head. *No, not you again. Not again!!!*   
  
"Just leave me ALONE!!!!" He shouted suddenly, startling even himself as he fell to his knees. "Just leave me alone. This is my body. You have no right to be in here!!!!"  
  
~Excuse me? YOU'RE body? I do believe that the sorceres chose MY body to reincarnate you, so technically, if we're talking ownership, then this is MY body, and YOU have   
no right to be here. Now, just what is going on around here? You claim not to love this Alex   
woman, yet you are so bent on keeping her alive that I have very strong reason to believe   
otherwise.~  
  
"I am NOT in love with Alex! I'm having enough trouble convincing myself of that, so I don't need YOU on my back about it."  
  
~You are so cute when you get all riled up about things like this.~ The feminine voice in his head teased.  
  
"Shut up, Celena. You just keep out of this, this doesn't involve you." He stood up, still breathing slightly harder then normal, and headed back to the clearing to check on the fire and Alex, praying to the gods that she was still asleep.   
  
~I wonder what she'll think when she finds out about your little surprise buried in your back.~  
  
"She already knows." He muttered sourly, seeing Alex was still out cold, sitting down by the fire and laying back to stare at the stars.  
  
~What?! What else am I missing out on?~  
  
"Well, one of my wings are broken, Alex's horse is really a unicorn, we went up against a two tailed, twenty foot dragon, in which Black Diamond had to reveal his little surprise to me in order to beat, and the Vione was under attack when we left it. We're somewhere on the borders of Asturia at the moment."   
  
~How did your wing break?~ He closed his eyes, growing frustrated quickly.  
  
"I struck a tree when I turned so I was on the bottom as we fell out of the Vione when it was under attack."  
  
~Awww......you were protecting Alex?~ Dilandau crushed the grass beneath his hand, quickly growing infuriated.   
  
"Of course. What good would she do for me as a Dragon Slayer if she was dead?" He retaliated.  
  
~Oh yes, and if she's a Dragon Slayer, she can be closer to you without anyone suspecting anything.~ Dilandau felt a powerful blush overwhelm him and he turned onto his side.  
  
"Shut up." He muttered, closing his eyes. "Just leave me alone." When he didn't recieve an answer, he took it as a sign that she was going to leave him alone for now and drifted off.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~The~next~day~  
  
Alex woke up and sat up with difficulty, then winced when her side started throbbing hard. She looked around and saw Black Diamond over by the pond, drinking deeply. He finished and shook his magificant head, then wandered off into a field. The fire had gone out, but she felt it was rather hot nevertheless. Alex looked up at the sky and saw it was a startling blue, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the sun was just finishing it's rise. *So why is it so hot?* She wondered. She forced herself to get to her knees, and realized that Dilandau was still asleep. She stood and looked in the direction the heat seemed to be coming from, and almost fell to her knees in shock. The woods had smoke drifting from the top of them, and she could smell the scent of burning animal flesh.   
  
  
  
  
  
Dilandau woke up then ; Celena's screaming at him to wake up had been successful. He sat up, glanced over at Alex and saw her walk towards the woods. "Alex?" She ignored him and burst into a dash, running into the woods. He gained his feet in lightening speed and ran after her. He slowed down after a few miles when he saw flames beginning on both sides of him, and as he went on, they grew bigger. He then caught sight of dead animals throughout the forest, not dead from the fire, (which he was trying extremely hard to ignore), but were mercilessly slaughtered by man. "Probably whoever set the woods on fire." He muttered, looking around for Alex.   
  
He found her a little ways away, on her knees, staring out at the death around her. He got to his knees beside her. "Alex? Alex!" He didn't get a responce, so he looked at her face. He was startled to see her pupils were dialated, and her hands were gripping a bloodstained dagger tightly. "What the hell..."  
  
~It's called having a vision, dumbass!!!~ Celena snapped at him. He blushed slightly, but didn't say anything. Dilandau picked Alex up and headed back towards the campfire, but after the first half mile grew tired, and, not wanting to walk the rest of the way, so instead he whistled as loud as he could. A few minutes later, Black Diamond came into the field, looking thoroughly spooked. Dilandau swung up onto his back, causing him to start and sidestep a few paces, but Dilandau managed to calm him down. Leaning Alex back against him so he could hold the riens in both hands, he decided that they were not going to head back to hte clearing, but instead, should head back to the Zaibach Capital instead. As Diamond broke out into a gallop, eagar to get away from the flames and death, Dilandau looked down at Alex, who was still in her trance-like state. *I hope she wakes up soon. This state she's in is disturbingly strange.*   
  
~Where are we heading?~  
  
"Think hard, Celena. Where do you THINK?!"  
  
~I was asking a question. No need to bite my head off!!~ Alex's vision must have ended then, because she went limp, and the dagger slipped from her grip, driving itself into Dilandau's leg as it fell. He hissed through his teeth, feeling his blood instantly starting to soak his pant leg.  
  
"Shit, right in my thigh." He groaned, wincing as Diamond's gallop caused the dagger to go in deeper.   
  
  
  
  
  
When they finally came to a stop, Dilandau jumped down, leaving Alex on Diamond, but his leg buckled under and he fell to one knee. "Damn. Look at that." There was a large streak of blood on Diamond, and a small pool was forming around his leg. He gripped the handle and pulled it out. The blood instantly poured out, causing him to almost collapse. "Well, damn. It broke a vein."   
  
~Then wrap it up, idiot!!! You're gonna die from blood loss if you don't!!~ Celena all but screamed at him, panicking. He closed his eyes, panting, then laughed hoarsely.  
  
"With what? I've already used my undershirt AND Alex's to wrap her wounds. What else am I supposed to use?" He glanced at the hilt of the dagger, and saw a very familiar crest on it.  
  
"You IDIOT!!!" A voice snapped, causing him to jump. He turned and saw Alex jump down from Diamond. "How could you be stupid enough to pull out the dagger?!" She felt like striking him, but knew that wouldn't help him. Alex turned back to Diamond and opened one of the bags on his saddle. Dilandau watched as she unrolled some of the bandages and started to wrap his leg, causing him to hiss as the cloths hit the open wound. "Oh, stop your complaining."   
  
"Why didn't you tell me you had these?' He demanded softly, watching her.  
  
"Isn't it mandatory to have these with you at all times? I thought you of all people would remember that."   
  
"So it slipped my mind, give me a break." He bit his lip as she pulled tighter then neccisary, quickly growing annoyed by his complaining. She used the entire roll, but his blood started to show through anyway. "We need to get you to a healer, now." She concluded. He snorted.   
  
""I don't need no damn healer." He stood, but he found that he couldn't hold his balance and leaned back against Diamond to keep from falling at Alex's feet.  
  
"Stop being so damn stubborn." She snapped. When he refused to move, she walked over to Diamond and hissed something to him. To Dilandau's shock, he felt Diamond grab him by the back of the shirt and lift him up onto his back. Alex swung up onto Diamond's back, and took off instantly, causing Dilandau to grab her by the waist.   
  
A while later, Alex felt him lean against her back and his grip loosen, so before he fell off, she pulled him out in front of her so that he was leaning back against her, breathing hard, and continued. Alex could feel his blood soaking her leg and knew that she had to move quickly if she wanted to save the warlord's life.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Uh oh!!! Dilly's in trouble!!!!!! Now it's Alex's turn to save Dilly!!!!!! I know, i know, i'm cruel!!! but hey, that's my job!!!!!!! I am so sorry that I haven't added in a long time, but for once, IT WASN'T MY FAULT!!!!!! fanfiction hasn't been letting me log in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you won't believe how long i've had this and the next chapter written!!!!!!!!!!!!! i think i've made my point, so once again, i am truely sorry, even though it wasn't my fault!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
  
~~~Elite Dragon Slayer~~~ (like my new name? i do!!!!!) 


	8. Strange Emotions

~An~Unexpected~Ally~  
  
~Chapter 7~  
  
  
  
  
Alex finally came upon a country, but didn't slow Diamond down. She galloped right through the gates, startling the guards. She came to a halt in front of a large group of villagers, who backed away, surprised. It wasn't everyday a woman on a firey black horse that was tossing it's head and stamping with blood running down it's stomach came in the gates.  
  
"Where's your healer?!" She demanded, trying to steady Diamond. One of the villagers pointed to a building a few miles away, and she let Diamond loose.   
  
Diamond skidded to a stop in front of the building, sending up a large cloud of dust. Alex jumped down with Dilandau's arm over her shoulder before Diamond even came to a stop and walked into the building. Instantly, she was swamped with healers ; 4 of them took Dilandau away from her, and 2 others dragged her over to a bed. "Leave me alone, I'm fine. He's the one who needs help, not me."  
  
"Miss, you have two serious arrow wounds, and you just bolted into our country, please   
let us do our job and heal your injuries." She gave up and collapsed onto the bed, ignoring them as they pulled off her jacket. She allowed them to lay her back and she drifted off, enjoying the feeling of a soft bed under her back at last.   
  
  
When she came to, she found she was in a small room with sunlight pouring in, and Dilandau was laying beside her in the same bed. He was on his side, she was pressed up against his chest close enough that she could actually feel his heart beating, and his arm was draped over her. She blushed at the position they were in, but didn't move; she was too nervous about what he would do if he found out they were in a different country while he was still injured. So instead, she just slipped farther into the warm blankets and stared out the window. She could feel the bandages on her side and her shoulder, and closed her eyes as they started throbbing again. Dilandau shifted in his sleep, and his grip on her tightened, pulling her closer to him. Her entire body was now pressed completely against his body. She could feel the bandages on his leg and felt a wave of pity wash over her as she realized it was her fault he was injured. She closed her eyes and thought about the vision she saw.  
  
There was fire all around her. A huge battle was going on around her, but everyone was ignoring her. Bodies were strewn everywhere she looked. Alex shuddered at the sight, and walked away from the battle. A few miles later, she heard people talking. She walked over at the sound of it, and caught sight of a large group of people hollaring and jabbing sharp tools at two little girls on the edge of a cliff. A closer look showed her that they were actually cat-girls. They threw the tools at the girls, causing them to fall off. One man broke free of the group and he jumped off the cliff after the girls. She watched in shock as two beautiful wings burst from his back and he caught the two girls in midair. 


	9. part two of Strange Emotions

~An~Unexpected~Ally~  
  
~Chapter 7~  
  
~Part~Two~  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: stupid fanfiction wouldn't let me uupload the entire chapter in one page, so hopefully, if everything worked, then this is the rest of chapter 8. cross your fingers!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
  
Alex opened her eyes, and saw that two hand madiens had come into her room and shook her awake.   
  
"Miss, your horse is in the stables outside, and we have some food ready for you when you're hungry." They then left, and she sighed. She felt Dilandau shift again, and glanced at him. He   
had woken up, and was looking around.  
  
"I was wondering when you were going to wake up." She said quietly. He stared at her for a moment, then blushed. "You do blush easily." She closed her eyes and layed back down, falling asleep again. Dilandau stared at her, surprised. He usually didn't like being so close to other people unless he was battling or punishing them. *So why don't I mind being so close to her? Especially in this position.* He sighed, shrugged it off, and layed down beside her, falling asleep quickly, his arm still around her waist.   
  
  
~3~hours~later~  
  
Dilandau woke up to thumping and cursing. He sat up and looked over to see Alex hopping around on one foot, struggling to pull her boot on. She tripped and almost fell, then managed to gain her balance. She hopped backwards a few steps, tripped again, and fell this time. "Damn!!"   
She managed to pull it on, laced it up, and stood up. She then repeated the task with her other boot, walked over to the dresser and grabbed her sword then strapped it on, grabbed her jacket and punched her arms through the sleeves.  
  
"Wha...what's going on?" He asked, watching her rush around the room, collecting their stuff. She jumped when he spoke, then ran over to the bed.  
  
"Thank-god you're awake. Come on!! We gotta go!!!" She snapped, grabbing his arm and pulling on it, trying to get him out of bed.   
  
"What the hell are you talking about"!"  
  
"Somebody's attacking the country we're in!! We have to get Diamond and get out   
of here!!!!" Dilandau got up, still dazed and wincing from his leg, then followed her out of the   
room into the hall. People were running around everywhere, frantic. He stumbled as an explosion   
went off, shaking the entire building, then walked down the hall with Alex as he pulled his jacket   
on.   
  
Alex ran down the stable hall until she found Diamond. He was stamping and snorting, terrified by the explosions. Alex led him out and climbed up, then held her hand out for Dilandau. He mounted Diamond and Diamond cantered out of the stable into the open, where Alex halted him. As Diamond walked around in a circle, panicking, Alex looked out at the battlefield. The entire city was on fire, and people were scattered everywhere. Diamond pranced around in a circle again for the third time, and Alex finally let him run out into the burning maze that was the city.   
  
Dilandau stared at the burning buildings closing in on him, and almost fell off as Diamond reared to avoid a falling beam. Their path was now blocked. "Damn. We're gonna have to find another way out of here." She turned Diamond around with difficulty, and both of them fell off as Diamond reared again as a building collapsed, blocking their other way out. Alex had fallen onto Dilandau with her stomach across his waist, and she had trouble forcing herself to her hands and knees.   
  
A shrill whinny caused her heart to leap up into her throat, and she jerked her head up to see several men capturing Diamond by throwing ropes around his neck. Alex froze, then bolted to her feet. "Diamond!!" She tried to get to the horse, but Dilandau held her back. "Let. Me. GO!!!!!" Dilandau grit his teeth, struggling to hold her back, but she managed to get away from him. She was a few feet away from Diamond when one of the men grabbed her from behind. She struggled to get out of his grip, but she wasn't able to. One of the men also grabbed Dilandau, and before he had time to respond, hit him over the head, knocking him out.   
  
Alex struggled to get away from the two men that were now holding her back, but all she could do was watch as they knocked out Dilandau and dragged Diamond away. She'd had enough and was about to break a few kneecaps, but before she could, they knocked her out as well.  
  
  
  
  
Alex woke up and groaned silently, as her head was throbbing from where she was hit. She opened her eyes and saw that her wrists were chained to the wall with the chains long enough for her to stand, and she was on her knees at the moment in some dungeon. It was small, cramped, and disgusting. She pulled at her wrists, then glanced through the bars across the hall and saw Dilandau's sword leaning against the bars. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps and the sound of something being dragged coming down the hall. Alex watched as a large guard opened the cell and tossed Dilandau into it. He landed on his hands and knees, groaning. Alex could see several brusies, and his leg was bleeding badly again. The guard kicked him in the gut and Dilandau was forced to the other side of the cell. The guard took his sword and hit Dilandau on the back with the blunt side of the   
blade.   
  
"Zaibach scum. And your little princess is next." He snapped, pulling his arm back to land another blow. This hit landed on the back of his neck, causing him to fall flat on his stomach. The   
guard had had enough and walked away, locking the door. Alex watched as he came into her cell and walked right up to her. He reached down and gripped her chin roughly, yanking her head upwards. "Well now, you're quite a pretty one, aren't you?" She growled, snapped at his fingers, and hissed.   
He jerked his hand back, then gripped his sword. "Why you little.." He raised his sword, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the blow. When it didn't come, she opened her eyes, and was shocked to see a man around Folken's age gripping the guard's wrist.   
  
"I believe you have duties to attend to." The man said with a voice that chilled the very air as he spoke. The guard opened his mouth to object, but the man narrowed his eyes. Just from this action alone, the guard seemed to shrink back slightly. He must have been dense though, because he was about to object again. The man simply squeezed his wrist, and the guard begged him to let go. The strange man let go instantly, and the guard slinked off, gripping his wrist. Alex stared at the man in shock. He glanced at her, the barest hint of a smile playing at his mouth at the look on her face, then he turned and left. She pulled hard at the bonds at her wrists, but all she got in the end was loss of energy.   
  
"I have got to get out of here somehow." She continued to struggle against the chains holding her back, but stopped when a shadow fell over her. She looked up and saw another guard staring down at her.   
  
"You caused one of our best guards to recieve a broken wrist. You need to pay for that."  
  
  
  
Dilandau groaned, struggling to his hands and knees, wiped the blood away from his mouth, and stood, one hand holding onto the bars to steady himself. He looked across the hall into Alex's cell, and saw she was locked to the wall by chains on her wrists with a guard staring down at her in a threatening way.   
  
"Hey." He said with slight difficulty. The guard didn't hear him and raised his sword, sharp side facing her, about to attack her. "Hey!" The guard looked over at him that time, his eyes narrowed.  
  
"What?" He snapped. Dilandau smirked.  
  
"Is that how weak you seriously are? That you would pick a fight with a WOMAN, and one that is chained to the wall at that." Alex looked up at him, a slight glare in her eyes, warning him not to go too far. But the guard reacted just the way he wanted him to: He walked out of Alex's cell and entered his.   
  
"What are you suggesting? Would you rather me take you on in a battle?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I figured." He turned to leave, but Dilandau stopped him.  
  
"I would rather take on you and let's say, 6 others, 7's a lucky number." The guard turned back to him.  
  
"You're claiming that you could take on me and six of my comrades?"  
  
"Not all at once, that wouldn't be fair. I want each of you to be able to experience my skill by yourself." The guard laughed.  
  
"Such guts for a little boy." This comment caused Dilandau's blood to boil.  
  
"I am no little boy. I may only be 15, but I have spilled three times as much blood as you and all the other guards in here combined have."  
  
"And how is that possible?"  
  
"You can accomplish alot when you're the head Dragon Slayer of Zaibach." The guard seemed startled by this, but tried to recover.  
  
"Fine, we'll take you on, and I hope you're ready for a large defeat, LORD." He spat. He turned to leave again, but once more, Dilandau stopped him.  
  
"Let's make this interesting. Say it'll be kind of like a tournament. And, let's put a little bet on too." The guards interest was peaked.  
  
"What are you planning on betting?"  
  
"My freedom. I win, me and my, 'woman', as your friend called her, get to go free."  
  
"And if you lose?" Dilandau laughed.  
  
"What makes you think I'll lose?" The guard just crossed his arms. "Fine." Dilandau's eyes landed on Alex. "I have an idea of what to bet." Alex tensed, then swallowed hard.  
  
"Oh shit." She hissed, her eyes widening. The guard looked over at what Dilandau was looking at, and his eyes narrowed at what he meant.  
  
"You're going to give me your woman?"  
  
"To do what you want with her."  
  
"And what about you?"  
  
"Hello? The only way you can beat me is if you kill me in battle. That's the rule."  
  
"You mean I can't just disarm you? I have to kill you?"   
  
"Yeah. Disarming is boring, and if I lose my sword, big deal. I can still kill you in hand-to-hand combat. Even if you still have your weapon. No problem at all." Dilandau grinned. "Don't tell me you're going to back out of my challenge?"  
  
"No of course not! I'll go find 6 of my best men and tell them." He then left, and Alex glared at him.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! You're betting ME?!? What if you lose?!" She snapped, standing up and walking towards him until she ran out of chain, then stood there, pulling at her wrists.  
  
"No problem, I won't lose." He said, loving how this was infuritating her.  
  
"But what if you DO?!"  
  
"Then you'll have to live with these guys. I don't see the problem." She gave up then, backed uup to the wall, collapsed against the wall, slid down to the floor and sighed, hanging her head.  
  
"I'm praying to God that for once, you're right, Dilandau. I seriously hope you win."  
  
  
  
  
A/N: well, this next upcoming chapter sure will be interesting. yeah, that's all i'm gonna say. no smart allec remark, just a small, harmless comment.  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~Elite Dragon Slayer~~~ 


	10. Battle of Their Lives

~An~Unexpected~Ally~  
  
~Chapter 9~  
  
  
  
  
Alex sat in her cell, her eyes closed, thinking hard. Her legs were brought up to her chest and her left arm was on her left knees, her right one on the other and her head was leaning back against the wall. She had been trying to fall asleep for half an hour, but could think of nothing except what Dilandau had done. It was almost unbareable; every one of her senses were heightened to an extremely amazing high level, a level she didn't think existed. She could hear the footsteps of men   
several stories above her. She could smell the fear of the others in different cells. She could even feel   
her blood pounding beneath her skin.   
  
She sighed, giving up on trying to fall asleep and leaned forward, opening her eyes and looking around. Dilandau was sharpening his sword with a rock he had found on the ground, and looking as bored as humanly possible. But she could tell he was just covering, he was rather nervous, probably about the battle coming up; thanks to her heightened senses, she could see trails of sweat running down his face and chest. Only now did she realize that they had stripped them of their armor, though they had spared her dignity and left her undershirt alone. Dilandau had probably removed his shirt on his own free will; it was damp, but hot down in the dungeon. She stretched her legs out and looked around her cell. There was a single window in the room, and she was able to detect a camera in the shadowed corner. She smirked, picked up a rock from the ground, flipped it a few times in her hand, looked up at the camera, then whipped the rock at it, smashing the lens and breaking the tape inside. Other then that, there was no damage done to the camera. At least, no VISIBLE damage.   
  
"Pathetic." She muttered, standing and walking over to the window. She was 2 feet away when she stumbled, running out of chain. Growing irritated, she gripped one chain in both hands and tugged at it.   
  
Dilandau looked up as he felt a tremor run through the floor, and watched as Alex tugged at her chains, stopped for a second, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled as hard as she could at the chains. When nothing happened, she sighed. "Looks like this country actually pays attention to what state their cells are in, though they ignore their floors." She muttered, glaring at the dirty floor. She reached in the leg of her pants, and pulled out a dagger. Holding the dagger in one hand, she began to dig into the manacle on her arm, ignoring the fact that she was cutting her skin, but wasn't aware of the second camera in the corner. Dilandau just shook his head, smiling to himself, and went back to his sword.   
  
Several guards came running down the hall at the sight and were shocked to see the woman they had captured breaking the chains off of her wrists. They just stood there for a second, then ran down the hall to probably tell their commander what had just happened. She sighed and walked over to the bars, leaning against them, one arm hanging out and looking down the hall. Dilandau looked up at the sound of footsteps and watched as a tall man around the age of Folken walked down to her cell. She just stared at him, pulling in her arm and straightening as she recognized the man.   
  
He stared at Alex, studying her wrists. She had abrasions and cuts along her wrists where she'd broken the locks off, and the chains lay in a pile in the corner.   
  
"Impressive." He turned to the head guard. "She'll be in this battle that the second in command and the Zaibach soldier planned, right?" Alex listened as they discussed it.  
  
"But sir, just because she'd strong enough to break the chains doesn't mean she can battle." Alex cleared her throat, calling their attention to her.  
  
"Excuse me, but I'll have you know that I could easily take on all of you and win if I got the chance." The guard scoffed and turned to the man.   
  
"Shall I teach her not to interuppt, sire?"  
  
"No, I want to hold her to her word. Let her out." The guard seemed startled, but he did as he was instructed and unlocked the door, dragging her out. The man was obviously in charge and threw her a sword, then backed away. "Prove it. Show me how many of these men you can kill. If you beat them, you can take me on if you wish." She stared at the sword for a second, then looked upat the man startled.  
  
"Don't just stand there Alex!! It's not like they're strong enough to kill you!!!" Dilandau snapped, glaring at her for hesitating. *So that's her name.* The man in charge thought, watching her. Alex looked up at him, got a grip on her senses, and charged at the closest guard, who didn't have   
his sword drawn yet. Before he had time to react, she had driven her blade into his gut, lifted the sword up until it cut into his chest, then moved on to the next guard in 4 seconds. She cut off the next guards arm, then decapitated him, but not before he slashed a deep cut down her arm. The remaining 4 guards hesitated, seeing how powerful she was, but not wanting to look foolish and cowardly by backing down from a battle with a mere woman. So the guard on her left charged at her, but she was ready.   
  
She clashed swords with him, then pulled away and split open his kneecap. As he was staring at his kneecap, she spun around him, drove her sword into his back, lifted the sword over her shoulder and flung the guard across the room. This action triggered something deep inside her, and it was as if her mind clouded over, and she could think of nothing except battling. She killed the remaining 3 guards quickly, then charged at the man in charge. He was impressed at what he saw, but was not about to be beaten so easily and pulled a sword out of nowhere, blocking her attack easily. She stepped back, then ran at him again, her blade sweeping towards him in a low arch. He turned his wrist down and blocked this attack as well, then pushed her back, causing her to stumble, but she caught her balance before she fell and went into the starting stance, glaring at him. He grinned.   
  
"I knew you were going to be well talented." He hissed, charging at her. She stood her ground, a glare on her face, her eyes aflame. She watched his blade, blocked his attack easily, and swung around, striking at him the moment she faced him again. He blocked three attacks in a row, then sent her sword flying so quickly that it was still airborn when he swung in behind her and grabbed hold of her by the waist, holding her arms down and grinning as she struggled in his grip, her shoulder throbbing.   
  
"Let me go, you-" He shut her up quickly by hitting her over the head with his sword. As she collapsed against him, he looked over the scenery.   
  
"She did quite alot of damage." Dilandau groaned, leaning his head on the bars. *Alex!! How could you be stupid enough to challenge Cain?* He thought miserably. He looked up as the man started to walk away, and realized he still had Alex in his arms. He was about to demand where he was going with her, but held the outburst back and walked over to where he was sitting before and sat down again, resuming the position he was in before as some men cleaned up the dead guards scattered in the hallway.   
  
  
Alex sat up, holding her head and groaning, then looked around, quite disoriented.   
  
"Where the hell am I?" There was a sudden searing pain in her arm, and she turned to see some woman pressing a cloth against her wound. Her head started to ache, so she layed back down, closing her eyes and still holding her temple. Alex heard the door open, and felt the woman stop tying a cloth onto her arm, but didn't move. It was when more masculine hands resumed knotting the fabric that she opened her eyes, jumping when she saw the same man that had knocked her out leaning over her arm. She blew out a sharp breath when the alcohol soaked cloth started to do it's job. She also noticed that both her wrists were wrapped as well. *From getting the manacles off.* She concluded, swallowing hard as her arm continued to throb.  
  
When he finished, she turned her head and watched him walk over to a window and open the curtians. One glance showed her that the sun was about to set.   
  
Cain opened the window, walked over to a desk, and sat down, taking hold of a bottle of vino. He opened the wine and poured it into a beautiful wine glass. Before he could drink out of it, he noticed that Alex was awake. Setting down the glass, he turned to her.  
  
"Alex, I'm glad to see I didn't hit you too hard." He stood and walked over to the bed she was laying in, causing her to draw up her legs and hold the blanket to her chest, her eyes trained on him as he sat on the edge. She flinched, then pushed his hand away as he ran it over the bandage on her arm.   
  
"Don't touch me." She growled. He laughed slightly.  
  
"Moody right now, aren't you?" He said, running a finger along her jaw, causing her to snap at him.   
  
"I SAID don't TOUCH me, you arrogant jerk!!" Cain raised an eyebrow, then shook his head, walked back over to the desk, picked up the glass, and swallowed the wine in one tilt. Setting down the glass, he looked over at her.   
  
"I suspect the, "competition", will be starting soon. You might want to be present."  
  
  
  
  
Dilandau entered the room and instantly caught sight of Alex being held between two guards and was fighting as hard as she was capable of to get away from them. Deje saw him and cleared his throat, causing Alex to still and the men he was fighting to stand. "It seems like it's time for the battle to begin." Dilandau pulled out his sword and faced his first challenger. *Here we go.*  
  
  
  
Dilandau stumbled back, leaning on his sword as his sixth opponent fell to the ground and two men dragged the lifeless form away. *Just one more. I can get through one more.* He straightened after a moment and waited for his last opponent . The shock on his face was clear as a woman faced him. "Guess Cain had the same idea I had."  
  
"Oh trust me." She hissed in a voice that carried arrogance and attitude. "I'm much stronger then your little princess over there." The woman pulled out a sword longer then his own katana. "And I'll prove it to you the hard way."  
  
  
Dilandau fell to one knee a few feet away from the woman, panting. He forced himself to his feet, ignoring his bleeding shoulder and blowing his bangs out of his eyes. She grinned when he faltered under the weight of her sword. He pushed her back, then steppped backwards a few feet to gain his balance. She didn't give him the chance. Dilandau was stunned beyond belief when she knocked away his sword, and watched as her blade came sweeping down.  
  
A flash of sparks brought his senses back and he couldn't help but feel relief washover him as he saw Alex standing in front of him, her sword fending off the warrior's own.  
  
"There is nothing more shameful then a strong warrior attemping to kill a weaker one when he's injured and down. You want a challenge, it's staring you in the face." She grinned then hissed at Dilandau. "Get your ass out of here."  
  
"Alex you have no right to-"  
  
"I said get out! You can give me the lecture later." Dilandau sighed, then stepped off to the side, away from the soldiers, and watched to the females prepare for battle.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: ooohh.....CLIFFHANGER!!!! sorry this took me so long, i've had a HUGE writer's block. oh, one other thing, i added to angel in disguise at last, and no one is reviewing! : ( oh well. ^_~ 


	11. Accepting Destiny

Alex watched her opponent carefully as the woman circled her, and gripped her sword tighter, trying to steady her breathing. For the longest time, neither one of them moved, and the tension was heightening to an unbearable point.   
Finally, the woman ran out of patience and attacked her, instantly starting the fight.  
  
  
Dilandau watched Alex fight his opponent, unable to look away from the fight as the both of them were only toying with each other; he knew what the were both capable of. *So why are they drawing this out? I know that Alex wants to get out of here badly.* He watched Alex easily fend off the sword sweeping down at her. *Why aren't they trying to kill each other? Are they showing off?* He gripped his shoulder harder as a sharp pain ran through him. *How could that wretch injure me so badly?*   
  
  
Alex grit her teeth, then forced her opponet backwards. The grin left the woman's face as she attacked again. Alex swung her sword up, then down when the woman's wrist came into range, but the woman turned her blade up and blacked it before Alex could cut off her wrist.   
  
Cursing, Alex pulled back a few steps, brought her sword up, level with her shoulder, and thrusted the point at the woman's shoulder, then pulled it down at the last second, striking the woman's sword handle and knocking it out of her hand. Alex caught the sword with th blade of her own, then tossed it behind her. Pointing the sword at the woman's face, she grinned.   
  
"You lose." Alex hissed, glaring for a moment, then shoving the woman back before turning to Dilandau. *That was too easy.* Alex couldn't help but think as she helped Dilandau up, throwing his arm over her shoulder and leading him out of the room.  
  
  
  
Black Diamond came tearing down the hall, stopping by the two of them. Dilandau instantly got on, but Alex hesitated, looking around. After a moment, she turned and pulled a bow off a wall with weapons, grabbing some nearby weapons. She then got on Diamond.  
  
Alex was on edge the entire time, watching the walls out of the corner of her eye. *Something is going to happen, I know it.* She looked up ahead at a creaking sound, and groaned as she saw the drawbridge closing. Kicking Diamond into a gallop, (and ignoring Dilandau as he instantly held tightly onto her waist) she placed an arrow on the bow and shot it into the dark. Dilandau was stunned to see a man fall to the floor.   
  
Diamond reared back as the doors closed before the got there, and Alex put her arm through the bow, grabbed a ledge and swung up onto a platform above them. A few minutes later, 4 dead men fell off. Alex pulled out her sword and cut the rope to the drawbridge, causing it to fall open with a large crash. She instantly pulled off the bow and fired several arrows, killing many men who were aiming to kill them.  
  
When the majority of them were dead, she jumped down into the saddle and they took off outside; Dilandau buried his head into her back as arrows flew at them.  
  
Dilandau felt them slowing, and looked up, relieved to see they were in the forest. He was about to say something to Alex when she collapsed against him, giving him clear view of the arrow embedded in her heart.   
  
Dilandau jerked awake and looked around. They were at a slow walk, and he saw Alex was fine. she turned around and grinned, surprising him. "hey. I was wondering when you were going to wake up. Sleeping was the best thing for you to do." She turned back and Dilandua was stunned. *Was she just polite to me?* "And you better not have drooled on my shirt!" He grinned. *That sounds more like her.*  
  
"So how did we get out of there arrow free?"  
  
"We didn't." She pulled the horse to a stop and bent forward. Dilandau heard her let out a short gasp, then shook his head as she sat up with a bloody arrow in her hand.  
  
"Can't we go anywhere without one of us getting hurt?"  
  
"Oh, shut up, I saved your ass back there. Luckily, this wound isn't as severe as the others, so we can keep going." She turned around, holding the reins in the other hand. "Can you take over for a while?"   
  
"What? But this horse hates me."  
  
"I don't blame him. But I'm about to collapse from exhuation, so I need you to direct him to the capital."  
  
"Fine." He took the reins in one hand and leaned her back against him with the other. Dilandau signaled for Diamond to start walking again, and the horse pinned his ears back. Dilandau growled quietly, and the horse moved forward. He heard Alex sigh quietly, and looked down to see her asleep. *Why the hell did I just let her fall asleep against me?* He was tempted to push her forward against Diamond's neck, but never did.  
  
  
  
"Finally." He muttered, wrapping the reins around the horn of the saddle. For a few minutes, he just sat there, staring up at the capital of Zaibach. Alex shifted aginst him, snapping him back to reality. "Alex, wake up." She groaned and turned slightly, somehow wrapping her arms around his waist. A blush rose up on Dilandau's face. He managed to pry her off and shook her a little harder then needed.   
  
"What?!" she snapped, sitting up. "What do you want?"  
  
"I want you to get off me." He retorted, staring down at her.   
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"At the Zaibach capital, now get off me." He answered, trying hard to stay calm. She cursed him under her breath and jumped down, then grabbed hold of Diamond's neck to keep from falling as her injured leg buckled. ~Dilandau, help her out.~ *I should have known it was too much to ask for you to stay quiet a little longer.* He turned to Alex, who ignored him and started to walk while holding onto Diamond's reins. "Where are you going?" He demanded as she started walking away from the capital.  
  
"Anywhere but here. I've had enough fighting these last few days." She looked at him in a way that was daring him to stop her. Dilandau sighed.  
  
"At least get that leg looked at." she stopped, comtemplating, then turned back to him.  
  
"JUST to get my leg healed, then I'm leaving."  
  
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?"  
  
"Why do you have to be so insistant?" Dilandau couldn't help but grin at this comment.   
  
  
Alex fell asleep in the healing room without realizing it, and Dilandau stood over her. *I give up. There is no way I'll ever convince her to join." He sighed and tossed an object with a note on it, thanking the Gods that Celena remained silent.  
  
  
~3 hours later~   
  
Alex woke up, holding her forhead with a groan and wincing as she moved her leg. *I fell asleep? Damn, I wonder where Diamond is.* She got up, then sat back down as a light pain shot through her leg. It was then she noticed the black scabbard on her desk. Snatching the note off it, she leaned back against the wall and read the signature, then the note itself  
  
  
Alex  
  
I've realized that it's been a waste of my time trying to convince you to join. Please, no smart remarks at this. I leave the final decision on whether you want to join with a small token of my gratitude for getting me back to Zaibach. Diamond is in the stable just beside the hanger. As for that little encounter with Cain and his "friends".........thanks for your help.  
  
Dilandau Albatou (If you show this to anyone, I'll kill you. I mean it.)  
  
Alex swallowed hard, read the note over again, then grabbed the sword and pulled it out of the scabbard. *Oh, wow.* The sword was made out of a metal she couldn't identify, but was the color of silver. The hilt had a dragon carved around it, and the crest of Arzaz was on it. She closed her eyes to hold back the tears. *What do I do?*  
  
  
  
~3 days later~   
  
Dilandau pulled his sword out of the dead man's chest and wiped it of. Feeling the wind of another sword, he turned and shoved his own sword forward, killing a man attacking him from behind. "This is too easy." Hearing a laugh, he turned and faced the one man he loathed most.  
  
"I knew we'd meet eventually, Albatou."  
  
"Cut the pleasentries, Cain. Let's fight."  
  
  
~Outside the capital of Zaibach~   
  
Alex glanced behind her, pulling Diamond to a stop.   
  
"Diamond, what do you think? Should I join? We don't have a home now, and even though that's his fault, he has helped us alot, and is probably the only one willing to take us in." Diamond turned his head and looked at her, sighing. She laughed. "You don't like Dilandau. But I bet you liked the way they treated you at the stable, huh?" The horse tossed his head up and down. She turned and looked in the direction she heard a fight starting. "If we do join, thee's a good chance we'll be killed." Diamond literally shuddered after she said that.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Dilandau sunk his sword deep into Cain's shoulder, but didn't grin like usual. Instead, he pulled it out and backed up, watching him. Cain touched his shoulder, then looked up at Dilandau.   
  
"Bravo, very good move." Cain grinned. "Unfortunately, that won't help you!!!!" He attacked Dilandau before he finished speaking. Dilandau blocked the first attack, but the second one drove into his leg, pinning him to the ground. He looked up as Cain pulled a second off his back, and swung at Dilandau's sword. It connected easily, sending Dilandau's sword spiraling towards his trashed guymelef. *Looks like Alex won't save my ass this time. I can't believe I just said that.* "You've been a formidable opponet, Dilandau, and your head will make for a nice trophy!" Dilandau watched the blade swing down, then thanked the Lords when a familiar cry rang out.   
  
Miguel practically plowed into Cain, knocking him back several steps. The brown haired youth, pulled the sword out of Dilandau's leg and handed to him, his eyes never leaving Cain.   
  
Cain wiped the blood off his chin, his patience gone. "You want to fight for your commander, then you'll die for your commander!!!" Cain let out a fierce cry, then ran at Miguel, slammed his sword into Miguel's own weapon and snapped the blade in his hand. A moment later, Miguel collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath as blood poured freely from his side. He looked up at Dilandau, who was petrified now, and mouthed the words 'good luck' before falling onto the ground face first. Dilandau stared down at His best slayer's corpse, then up at his killer. Cain glared at him. "You train your slayer's well." He kicked Miguel's body out of the way and faced Dilandau. "Where did we leave off?" *This is it. This is where I die.* Dilandau thought to himself, preparing for the final blow as Cain lifted his sword. Dilandau never looked away rom Cain, but was stunned as his murderer was pushed back by a dark form. When all the movement stopped, he could have cried for all his joy of seeing Alex standing in front of him.  
  
"Why am I always saving your ass?!!" For once he didn't respond. He just blacked out.   
  
  
  
6 hours later, Dilandau regained conciousness in his own room.  
  
"What the hell?" He muttered, looking up at the celing. "What happened?"  
  
"Well, I see you're your usual demanding self." A voice rang out, which had him smirk. He sat up and looked over at Alex, who was sitting on a chair beside his bed, her sword in her lap. He grinned when he saw it was the one he gave her.  
  
"Alex, the fight with Cain-"  
  
"Is over. I didn't kill him, but he won't be bothering us for a while." Dilandau knew better then to question further. He could detect a bandage on his leg.  
  
"Ah, shit. Once again, one of us is injured." She laughed.  
  
"Don't we have all the luck. Do you want anything?"  
  
"Yeah, I want to get out of bed and get into the bathroom. I have dried blood all over me." Alex burst out laughing, causing a searing glare from Dilandau. She got up and helped him out of bed, and it was then he noticed what she was wearing. "You have a Dragon Slayer's uniform on."  
  
"Yeah." He looked up at her, studying her face.  
  
"You've joined." He whispered, not able to breathe. She grinned.  
  
"Well, I figured it be alot easier to save your as if I'm at your side." Dilandau swallowed hard. *I can't believe it. She actually joined.* Dilandau couldn't hold it in any longer; he grabbed her chin, turned her face to his and caught her mouth in a strong kiss. He didn't care how hard she slapped him. He'd fallen in love with her. But she didn't hit him. Instead, she pulled him closer, surprising him. When they pulled away, Dilandau grinned.   
  
"I think I've fallen in love with you Alex."  
  
"God help me." She teased. "Come on, you go wash up, and I'll get you something to eat." Dilandau watched her leave. ~It's about damn time.~ Dilandau laughed. *Celena, remind me to listen to you more often.* Sighing, he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. 


	12. Epilogue

An Unexpected Ally  
  
Epilogue  
  
  
  
  
  
Alex watched the men carry the coffins that held several Dragon Slayers, her eyes lingering on Miguel's. *I can never thank him enough for buying me time to get to Dilandau.* She thought, holding the hand Dilandau had placed on her shoulder.   
  
  
Dilandau watched as well, glancing at Alex every now and then.   
  
"I never thought I'd see you in a dress." He whispered softly, causing a weak grin to show on her face.  
  
"Things change." Alex clutched Miguel's sword to her chest, then stepped forward when the coffins were set down and layed the sword down on Miguel's coffin. Kissing her hand and   
pressing it against the box, she whispered, "Thanks." then turned back and leaned against Dilandau, taking Diamond's reins from him. Alex watched the coffins as they picked them up again once everyone had placed something on the coffins until the other people in the streets blocked them from view. "I wish I'd had time to tell Miguel how much I appreaciate what he did."  
  
"He was doing his job." She looked at him, and though he sounded heartless, she saw a few tears starting. They didn't look out of place on the warlord's face, which surprised her.  
  
"No." She squeezed his hand slightly, then looked at the carriage they were loading the coffins in. "He was doing the same thing I was. He was saving the life of someone he cared about deeply." Dilandau wrapped his arm around her back and leaned his head on her shoulder. Alex thought back to the first day she met Dilandau, and couldn't believe how much he'd changed.  
  
"Do you want to stay a little longer, or are you ready to go back?" He asked. She watched the carriage disappear around the corner.  
  
"Let's head back." He let go of her and they both walked back to the fortress, the horse following close behind. *Wherever you are now, Miguel, thanks.* She thought as Dilandau led her down to her new room. 


End file.
